An important consideration when wrapping loads with packaging material, and then shipping the wrapped loads, is whether the packaging material is applied to the load with enough layers to generate a level of containment force on the load that is adequate for keeping the load intact during shipping. This must be weighed against other considerations including, for example, the weight and cost of packaging material used to wrap each load. Determining the effectiveness of packaging materials for wrapping loads requires an understanding of these and other considerations.
For many reasons, the effectiveness of packaging materials for wrapping loads is difficult to quantify and predict. In production facilities where loads are wrapped with packaging material, typically no methods are employed to measure the requirements or characteristics of an effectively wrapped load, since operators of such facilities focus on meeting shipment rates rather than on determining the quality of wrapping on the loads in those shipments.
In some instances, data has been generated manually after wrapping of a load using measuring devices including, for example, containment force measuring tools and scales. However, due to the time and effort required to generate and analyze such data, generating and analyzing the data is often ignored, increasing the likelihood that a wrapped load that is transported may have a containment force below that which is needed for successfully transporting the wrapped load, and thus, risking failure of the wrapped load during transport. Such failures may be costly since the load may be damaged or may damage transportation equipment, and/or may cause delays or missed deliveries. Failing to generate and analyze data may also lead to loads being wrapped with more packaging material than is actually needed, leading to inefficiency and higher costs.
In other instances, data has been generated by cutting packaging material off of a wrapped load and performing analyses on the cut packaging material. Generating data this way is wasteful and time consuming. And since cutting the packaging material off of every wrapped load is not desirable, cutting is typically performed on a single test load, and an assumption is made that the results are consistent for subsequent loads. This may not be the case, however, if the characteristics of the loads being wrapped vary, if the packaging material is changed, or if wrap settings are adjusted.
Another difficulty arises due to there being several packaging material manufacturers in the marketplace, many offering several different types of packaging materials, as well as variants of those types. All of these different packaging materials may have different characteristics that impact their effectiveness for wrapping loads. In addition, a first operator of a wrapping machine may use settings that are different from those used by a second operator of the wrapping machine, thus adding further variability to the process. The number of potential combinations of variables adds to the complexity of determining the effectiveness of packaging materials.
The present disclosure is directed to overcoming one or more of the above-noted problems.